Medical marijuana to be sold in Connecticut by summer: governor

MILFORD, Connecticut (Reuters) - Medical marijuana will go on sale in Connecticut by summer 2014, dispensed throughout the state by four vendors, Governor Dannel Malloy said on Tuesday.

Marijuana is illegal in the United States under federal law, but Connecticut is among 20 U.S. states and the District of Columbia that allow use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Four applicants have been chosen as the state's first-ever legitimate producers of medical marijuana to serve the needs of seriously ill patients in Connecticut, said Malloy, who appeared at a press conference along with Consumer Protection Commissioner William Rubenstein in West Haven.

The selected dispensaries are Advanced Grow Labs, LLC, in West Haven; Connecticut Pharmaceutical Solutions, LLC, in Portland; Curaleaf, LLC, in Simsbury, and Theraplant, LLC, in Watertown.

Nearly 1,700 patients have been certified so far for the state's medical marijuana program, Malloy said.

The governor in 2012 signed the law to allow licensed physicians to prescribe medicinal marijuana for adults suffering from certain debilitating diseases or medical conditions.